I have a Sony DRX-530UL which is working great so far for my DVD back-ups (for which I use DVD Shrink and then RecordNow, the latter of which came with the burner). I checked the drive with DVDInfoPro (great program BTW) and found that the drive apparently installed with firmware 1.0d. There's an upgrade firmware (don't know if that's the right terminology) on Sony's web site for this DVD burner, but its directions specifically say I have to uninstall DirectCD, which is a program that has worked great. I have a CD-RW drive which I want to continue to use for backing up my CDs; I know I CAN use the Sony DVD burner for CDs too but I'd prefer to use that just for DVDs to save on wear & tear. So I'm annoyed that Sony is telling me to uninstall a very useful program, DirectCD, before I install their firmware upgrade, which I don't even know the benefits of. A few questions: (1) I'm trying to understand the logic of why they would tell me to uninstall this program (I HATE instructions that just tell me to uninstall something without telling me WHY) -- would this simply be a compatibility issue? (2) If I DON'T uninstall the DirectCD program and download the firmware upgrade anyway, is it likely to screw up my system? (3) What would the firmware give me -- faster burning times? I can already burn a whole (shrunk) movie in 15 minutes, which is fast enough for my needs. (4) And maybe this is just rhetorical ... but why should Sony be able to tell me to uninstall a WORKING program just because THEIR program doesn't like it -- shouldn't they make their program WORK with others on my computer?? OK, enough ranting. If anyone can help me understand the logic of all this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi Karen, Yep this is why I like Pioneer... The best thing to do when flashing firmware is to follow the instructions exactly. It may flash properly or not at all or worse. Sony decided that this program caused problems with this drive so they want you to remove it. They don't feel obligated to tell you why but if you contact their tech support...Well, good luck! OEM firmware updates are usually for greater media compatibility. If you are happy with the way it is working you should leave it alone. Hacked firmware will give you 8X burning, can make the drive region free and can make it compatible with more media. It voids the warranty and could destroy your drive if done incorrectly. I do it all the time. DirectCD is a packet writing software that comes with Roxio. It is known to conflict with a variety of burning programs. In your case, even Sony recognizes this. Nero, for example, will not work with it either. I kinda blame Roxio for making a program that does not allow other programs to work properly. Maybe Sony wants you to remove it to prevent future conflicts that you might blame on them! Cheers, Frank _X_X_X_X_X_[small]motorcycle racer computer newbie Sony VAIO Suzuki GSXR1000 [/small]
It could be that since packet writing apps like to always keep access to the drive they may interfere with the flash by trying to get access to the drive while the flash is taking place. Kinda like how many burning apps like to lock volume access while burning so nothing gets in the way I don't see any reason why you couldn't simply reinstall DirectCD after you've flashed your drive. Listen to Frank, though, if you want to flash your drive, then follow Sony's instruction exactly.
Thanks, fasfrank & Nephilim. You guys are great. For now I've decided "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" ... maybe later I'll flash the firmware. (Hmmm ... that sounds dirty doesn't it?)
